Halo: A Soldier's Story Chapter THREE
by haloplayer
Summary: A squad of Marines is trapped on a ancient Forerunner ringworld, Halo. They fight their way through some of the levels in to game.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I do not own Halo, never will, or any characters in this story._

_Halo: A Soldier's Story_

Chapter One: The Pillar of Autumn

/BEGIN TRANSMISSION/

Explosions shook the Halcyon-Class cruiser _The Pillar of Autumn _as Private Wallace A. Jenkins linked up with his squad, _Fire Team Zulu_. "Mendoza! Washington! Cover that doorway!" yelled Sergeant Major A.J Johnson, _Fire Team Zulu's _squad leader.

The sound of melting steel echoed across the _Pillar of Autumn's_ hangar. Jenkins primed his MA5B Assault Rifle, as the door was about to break. The door gave way, and white-hot plasma rained forward towards the defensive covered position.

Jenkins pulled down on the MA5B's trigger as the Marine next to him got his arm hit by a plasma bolt. "Oh no! Not me! WHY ME!" the poor man cried as he went into shock. Jenkins dropped his rifle and pulled the Marine under cover. A half dozen other Marines had been KIA by the strike team of Elites and Grunts.

Jenkins shot down a wayward grunt that had made it halfway to his position. Private Mendoza primed a frag grenade, and tossed it into the doorway. The grenade exploded, and the plasma stopped coming. "Mendoza! Perez! Move it up!" Sarge said after the skirmish was over. The two marines moved through the doorway.

"All clear Sarge!" Mendoza yelled back to Johnson. Jenkins reloaded his MA5B and followed closely behind the Sarge. Luckily, none of _Fire Team Zulu's _Marines had been wounded. The long corridor was completely devoid of movement, save for 3 dead Marines and a gaggle of dead grunts. Jenkins picked up 3 of one of the Marine's MA5B clips.

One of the Marines in Jenkins' squad of 12 Marines ran forward to a "T" intersection. When he came to it he got gunned down by 10 blue plasma bolts. "AHHHHHHHHHH!" the poor Marine cried (his real name is Corporal James Whitman). "Corporal!" Jenkins yelled after his body fell to the deck.

Sarge motioned for everyone to throw their frags through the hallway into the intersection. BOOM! "Go go go!" Sarge yelled. The squad ran around the corner, guns blazing. The 2 surviving Elites were mowed down like a fresh lawn in the hail of the bullets. Jenkins again reloaded his rifle as the squad ran down the hallway into the cryo bays. "Alright. Jenkins, you and Blackman secure the cryo bay. Everyone else, hang back!" Sarge told the squad of now 11 Marines. Jenkins moved up, followed closely by Private Blackman.

"All clear Sarge! No hostiles detected." Jenkins yelled back to Johnson. The squad moved up to the cryo bay's exit. Suddenly, the door exploded, sending the squad hurtling back. "Sound off if you're still alive!" Sarge called out. All of the Marines replied, but one was missing! "Nichols! Where is he?" Sarge asked. One the squad members, Corporal Jeffrey White, replied: "Sarge! I found him, but he's KIA!"

Sarge shook his head solemnly. "Lets move." He mumbled. Then, as they neared the lifeboat area, Captain Keyes said over the chatter: "Report: All units evacuate on the double. Repeat: all units evacuate the _Pillar of Autumn_!" Sarge looked around at the dumbstruck squad. "Well, you heard him! Let's move!" He yelled over the chatter. The squad took off to the nearest lifeboat, strapped in, and the lifeboat launched from the ship.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two: Halo

"Dang it! Were coming in too fast!" Jenkins said as the lifeboat entered the ring world's atmosphere. The pilot grabbed hold of a rail. "Brace for impact!" He yelled over the roaring engines. BOOM! The lifeboat crashed outside of a strange structure.

Jenkins stumbled out of the lifeboat to find that only 2 Marines died in the crash. He primed his MA5B, and moved forward to the structure with the 12 remaining survivors of the crash, 10 of which were in _Fire Team Zulu_. When they reached the structure, plasma started flying at the group from both sides. "Break off! Get inside!" Sarge yelled. A Marine was cut down by the plasma bolts.

Once the squad was inside the structure, Sarge hefted up his MG76 turret gun. "Washington, Perez! Set up this turret near the door." He told the Marines. "Yes, sir!" they said in unison. The two unlucky soldiers ran to the door to the structure, only to be cut down immediately by a wave of hot plasma. After the Marines were killed, 2 Elites, 6 grunts, and 4 Jackals ran down the long corridor to where the Marines were hiding.

Before the Covenant reinforcements could get there, the UNSC Marines killed 5 Grunts, 3 Jackals, and 1 Elite. When the aliens got into the hiding room, the Grunt and Jackal were easily cut down, but the Elite took the other 2 non- _Fire Team Zulu _Marines with it. After that little skirmish, who else but Master Chief Spartan John-117 comes running down the hallway. "Good to see you, sir." Jenkins said to the 7 foot tall Spartan.

"Alright, Marines. Cortana has radioed in for dust-off. Foehammer should be here any minute." Chief told the Marines. Sarge smiled and stated: "Marines! We are LEAVING!" The 8 survivors cheered. Chief turned and led the way back to the surface.

When the marines reached the surface, Foehammer was just dropping off a warthog with 2 marines in it. The marines filed into the Pelican, and she took off. "Marines, this is Echo-419. I am taking you to the base of operations for our resistance. It is located at 53 degrees latitude, 27 degrees longitude. There we will link up with _Fire Team Charlie_ and form our plans there." Foehammer explained to the Marines.

10 Minutes later, Foehammer was dropping them off at the CP.

"This is our stop. Let's move!" Sarge yelled. The 8 marines got out of the Pelican and ran over to the CP, which was a building similar to the one Master Chief got them out of. When they went into the building, they saw Capitan Keyes' second in command, Lieutenant Bruce Massey. "Good to see you, Sergeant. I will need your squad to help recover Capitan Keyes from the Covenant cruiser, _The Truth and Reconciliation_. You and your squad will be sent in as reserves if Master Chief needs them." Massey said the Sarge.

"Yes, sir. We will be ready when needed, sir." Sarge replied. And so the rescue mission begins.


	3. Chapter 4

Chapter Three: _The Truth and Reconciliation_

The Pelican drop ship circled below the Covenant cruiser, _The Truth and Reconciliation_, waiting for the call for reinforcements from Cortana. "Echo-419, this is Cortana. We need reinforcements on the double." Cortana told Foehammer over the chatter. The 10 marines, 8 of which are in _Fire Team Zulu_, loaded their weapons, ranging from a MA5B to two Marines with S2 AM Sniper Rifles.

"I read you Cortana, five by five. Echo-419 inbound." Foehammer responded. The Pelican flew in to the plateau with the cruiser's gravity-lift, and dropped off the Marines. "Go go go! The corps ain't payin' us by the hour!" Sarge yelled as the Marines ran toward the Master Chief, who was next to the grav-lift.

The Marines stepped into the lift, and were pulled up into the belly of the beast. The Marines appeared inside of a large room with lots of doors. "Scanning… No Covenant forces detected." Cortana said to the Marines. The soldiers looked around at each other. "No Covenant? You think maybe nobody's home?" Jenkins asked, confused.

Just then, a door opened and 3 Red Elites and 10 grunts came running through, guns blazing and plasma flying. "No Covenant! You just HAD to open your mouth!" Private Blackmon said scornfully. 2 Marines were gunned down, both of them being from _Fire Team Zulu_. Jenkins threw a frag and killed 4 grunts and brought down 1 Elite's shield. It was then quickly melee-ed to death by the Chief.

Jenkins quickly reloaded his rifle, and killed a grunt right before it could throw a plasma grenade. With most resistance destroyed, the team moved out of the large room. As they were leaving, however, a pair of Hunters came sauntering through a big door into the room. "Stand back; I've got these guys." Chief said as he whipped out his M6D Pistol.

A Hunter charged, but Master Chief dodged it and shot it once in the back, killing the Hunter instantly. The Spartan did the same to the second Hunter. The 8 Marines looked around a gawked at the Master Chief as he strode over to the Marines. "Let's move it up, Marines!" He said to the dumbstruck soldiers.

The cyborg turned around and ran through the large door, into the top floor of a hanger. A commander Elite brandished his Plasma Sword, and charged the humans. Chief calmly threw a plasma grenade, which stuck to the golden Elite. The alien exploded, and the 15 or so Grunts in the area started running for their lives.

Those scared grunts were quickly mowed down, and the group moved into a corridor. After many more corridors, they ended up in a jail. Chief walked over to a console, and turned off the jail cell's doors. "Coming here was reckless. You two know better… Thanks." Keyes told the Spartan. Keyes walked up to a dropped needler, and picked it up. "Marines, lock and load your weapons. Let's be ready to move." The captain told the other freed Marines. The group of now 14 soldiers, 1 captain, and 1 cyborg moved out of the detention block.

When the group reached the hanger, Chief unclamped a Covenant drop ship, and Keyes flew that ship out of _The Truth and Reconciliation_.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter Four: The Mountains Above, and the Valleys Below (Occurring at the same time as the level "Silent Cartographer") 

The 6 surviving Marines of _Fire Team Zulu_ were flying over snowy mountain tops in Pelican Bravo 36. After the rescue of Captain Keyes from _The Truth and Reconciliation_, the team was sent on a second rescue mission. _Fire Team Charlie_, _Fire Team Zulu's_ sister squad, and their Pelican Echo 318, had gone down in this area 12 hours ago, and no transmissions had been sent back to HQ. Jenkins and his squad were sent to find _Fire Team Charlie_, and bring them back mostly safe.

"This is _Fire Team Charlie_: we request reinforcement's immediately." Said Sergeant Jim Eidson, _Fire Team Charlie's_ squad leader. "Hey there _Fire Team Charlie_, this is _Fire Team Zulu_, here with reinforcements and dust-off." Sarge replied. After Sarge was done talking, Bravo 36 was hit by a Wraith's plasma mortar, blowing off the front portion of the Pelican, killing its pilot.

The drop ship began falling from the 1000 meter altitude. "This is it, Marines! Brace for impact!" Sarge yelled. The Pelican crash-landed on a frozen pond, killing 3 marines (they were: Private Trey Blackman, Corporal Jeffrey White, and Private Sage McDougal). Jenkins stood up on his twisted ankle, to see Private Mendoza and the Sarge getting pounded by a Ghost. He primed a plasma grenade, and stuck it onto that Ghost, blowing it to pieces. "Thanks, Private." Sarge told Jenkins. The battered squad moved forward towards a different downed Pelican. Inside the Pelican were the 4 Marine survivors of _Fire Team Charlie_. "Sarge, good to see you." Said a Marine.

Sarge nodded back to the Marine. The 3 Marines from Bravo 36 walked over to the Pelican's console. "It looks like I could fly her outta here, Sarge." Mendoza said to Johnson. He looked surprised. "You can fly a Pelican, Mendoza!" Sarge asked.

"Um, yes sir. I learned it in basic." Mendoza replied. Private Mendoza got into the pilot's seat, and pressed the ignition. "Sarge! We got contacts! Lots of contacts!" Jenkins yelled. Sure enough, 30 Covenant reinforcements were closing in on the Pelican, with plasma flying. The Pelican's engine awoke, and it lifted up into the air.

"Sir, the back left side of the Pelican is melting from all the plasma!" yelled one of _Fire Team Charlie's_ Marines. Soon they were out of firing range. "Phew… That was a close one." Jenkins sighed. The group reformed into a new squad: _Fire Team Mustang._

_Yep short chapter. This is my first fic, so cut me some slack. Well, 2 more chapters to go._


End file.
